==>BOLT ON POWER WITH DYNO NUMBERS!
09-20-2007, 09:33 PM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Roseville, CA
Posts: 444
==>BOLT ON POWER WITH DYNO NUMBERS!
Bolt-On Power!
Super Ford, May 1996
Dynojetting the popular 5.0 Mustang performance mods to
see how much power they really make
text by Donald Farr
"How much power does it make?" must be one of the all-time most asked questions when the talk turns to 5.0
Mustangs and the plethora of high-performance parts that help them make more power. Over the past 10 years,
the performance aftermarket has exploded with 5.0 Mustang goodies, from simple bolt-ons like underdrive
pulleys to several varieties of aluminum heads. We know the parts work, at least most of them, because we feel
the results in the seat of our pants and we see the improved numbers on the drag strip scoreboard.
To find out just how much improvement 5.0 owners can expect from certain components, or a combination of
components, we strapped a stock '89 5.0 LX Mustang onto a Dynojet chassis dynamometer, took a baseline
reading, then begin bolting on many of the popular high-performance parts and noting their horsepower and
torque improvements. During our buildup, some parts were surprisingly effective, others performed as expected
and a few fell short of our expectations. In all, we learned nearly all of the 5.0 high-performance parts work, some
better than others, and it's the combination of parts that really wake things up under the hood.
As a quick, easy and reliable method of measuring power at the driven wheels, Dynojets have been installed at
shops around the country at a dizzying rate in the last year. Dynojet owners include K&N Engineering,
Hypertech and Kenne Bell, Mustang-specific shops like Kenny Brown and Steeda Autosports have Dynojets on
order, and several Winston Cup teams, including those of Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd, recently used
Dynojet's portable unit to test their Thunderbirds prior to the Daytona 500.
While Super Ford will continue to test on engine dynos and drag strips, the Dynojet has joined our
parts-evaluating toolbox. Unlike engine dynos, the Dynojet simulates road or track conditions, with the engine in
the car and running through its drivetrain and full exhaust. And unlike drag strips, the Dynojet is not affected, or
at least not as affected, by driving, weather, or track conditions.
To obtain its data, the Dynojet mounts a vehicle's drive tires on a pair of 48-inch-diameter drums. By calculating
how fast the drums accelerate, the Dynojet delivers precise measurements to a personal computer programmed
with Dynojet's software, which calculates horsepower and torque among other data. The design of the drums
prevents tire slippage or deformation, which results in precise, repeatable information, although like any testing
tool, it must be used carefully to assure repeatable information. Think of the Dynojet as an improved and vastly
more intelligent version of the old two-roller chassis dyno, with a 1200 hp capability.
For our test, Dynojet delivered it portable unit, along with Eastern U.S. Director of Operations Marc Hayes, to
Steeda Autosports in Pompano Beach, Florida. For the four days of testing in late January, Steeda's Dario
Orlando was kind enough to devote two of his technicians, Steve Chichisola and Chad Boy, to the project. Since
Steeda Autosports is primarily a late-model Mustang business complete with installation shop, Steve and Chad
are intimately familiar with the 5.0 Mustang. They constantly amazed us with their speed, removing and installing
short-tube headers in 15 minutes and swapping heads in just over three hours.
We started with a 1989 5.0 LX Mustang, "an old Steeda workhorse," Steve said. With 126,000 miles, the
five-speed LX hatchback was typical of many 5.0 Mustangs on the road today and a good place to start. The
Steeda crew made sure everything was stock, including the exhaust system and air intake silencer inside the right
front fender.
With a manual transmission, Marc says you can expect a 10-percent power loss, typically 20-25 horsepower for a
5.0 Mustang, on the Dynojet due to frictional losses through the drivetrain. (With an automatic, Marc says you
can expect to lose 40 or more horsepower). The Dynojet is capable of determining the frictional loss, with our test
Mustang showing only an 18 horsepower drop. The frictional horsepower loss remains constant as long as the
drivetrain is not changed, so it is not accrued as modifications increase horsepower. In other words, to get a
flywheel, or "advertised," rating for our modifications, just add 18 horsepower to the rear-wheel numbers.
Every run on the Dynojet was identical -- make the modification, warm up the engine and drivetrain on the dyno,
then accelerate the engine, in fouth gear, from 1500 to 5500 rpm at wide-open throttle. In most cases, three runs
were made for each change: one to get the engine up to operating temperature, a second for the real number and
a third for backup purposes. For consistency, Steve operated the car for every run, while Marc orchestrated the
computer.
For our baseline number, Steve made three runs on the Dynojet, reaching a peak rear-wheel horsepower of 201.7
at 4300 rpm. Adding in the 18 horsepower for drivetrain loss, the number comes to 219.7 at the flywheel, very
close to the factory 225 horsepower rating and impressive for an engine with 126,000 miles.
PHASE 1 -- BOLT-ONS
Remove intake silencer. Ford used a plastic air intake silencer, mounted inside the right front fender, to reduce
the noise caused by air rushing into the induction system. The design of the box restricts airflow, so removing it
has become one of the first modifications performed by 5.0 owners. Removing the silencer from our Mustang
supported this modification, showing a peak horsepower of 206.2 at a higher 4700 rpm for a 4.5 horsepower gain.
Not bad for free.
K&N filter. Continuing to free up induction, we yanked the stock air filter and replaced it with a K&N
Filtercharger, a reusable high-performance filter. We expected another large gain, but the K&N netted just over a
horsepower for a peak of 207.3. The only explanation was that the K&N may not work as good with a stock
engine, and that it may prove more beneficial as we make further modifications.
Underdrive pulleys. With many reports of quarter-mile improvements, we had to try underdrive pulleys on our
dyno Mustang. March Performance supplied their lightweight aluminum three-pulley "street" set, part number
2010, powder coated in a brilliant red to match our test 5.0, to reduce the horsepower-robbing drag from the front
engine accessories, including the water pump and alternator.
Steve bolted on the pulleys in less than 10 minutes, and the test run showed a peak horsepower number of 217.4,
an impressive increase of 10.1 horsepower, even more impressive was the fact that the underdrives helped across
the rpm band -- 5.2 horsepower at 2500 rpm, 9.4 at 3000 and 12.5 at 5000. The pulleys also improved torque all the
way across, with a peak improvement of 13.6 lb ft.
One side effect of the pulleys during the remainder of our test was the additional heat in the engine. Since the
underdrive pulleys slow down the water pump, the engine ran about one notch hotter on the temperature gauge
after a series of dyno runs.
SplitFire spark plugs. These plugs, with their unique "split" electrode, have benefitted tremendously from their
marketing and advertising campaign. We wanted to see if our test would back up their claims. After swapping a
set of brand-new SplitFires, part number SF2E, im place of the 5.0's somewhat used Motorcraft ASF32C plugs, we
saw a peak horsepower number of 218.9, a 1.5 horsepower increase that could be attributed to fresher plugs and
not necessarily to the design of the SplitFires.
At this point, we tried two Pro-M mass air meters, a 75mm and a 77mm. Neither showed an imp
Super Ford, May 1996
Dynojetting the popular 5.0 Mustang performance mods to
see how much power they really make
text by Donald Farr
"How much power does it make?" must be one of the all-time most asked questions when the talk turns to 5.0
Mustangs and the plethora of high-performance parts that help them make more power. Over the past 10 years,
the performance aftermarket has exploded with 5.0 Mustang goodies, from simple bolt-ons like underdrive
pulleys to several varieties of aluminum heads. We know the parts work, at least most of them, because we feel
the results in the seat of our pants and we see the improved numbers on the drag strip scoreboard.
To find out just how much improvement 5.0 owners can expect from certain components, or a combination of
components, we strapped a stock '89 5.0 LX Mustang onto a Dynojet chassis dynamometer, took a baseline
reading, then begin bolting on many of the popular high-performance parts and noting their horsepower and
torque improvements. During our buildup, some parts were surprisingly effective, others performed as expected
and a few fell short of our expectations. In all, we learned nearly all of the 5.0 high-performance parts work, some
better than others, and it's the combination of parts that really wake things up under the hood.
As a quick, easy and reliable method of measuring power at the driven wheels, Dynojets have been installed at
shops around the country at a dizzying rate in the last year. Dynojet owners include K&N Engineering,
Hypertech and Kenne Bell, Mustang-specific shops like Kenny Brown and Steeda Autosports have Dynojets on
order, and several Winston Cup teams, including those of Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd, recently used
Dynojet's portable unit to test their Thunderbirds prior to the Daytona 500.
While Super Ford will continue to test on engine dynos and drag strips, the Dynojet has joined our
parts-evaluating toolbox. Unlike engine dynos, the Dynojet simulates road or track conditions, with the engine in
the car and running through its drivetrain and full exhaust. And unlike drag strips, the Dynojet is not affected, or
at least not as affected, by driving, weather, or track conditions.
To obtain its data, the Dynojet mounts a vehicle's drive tires on a pair of 48-inch-diameter drums. By calculating
how fast the drums accelerate, the Dynojet delivers precise measurements to a personal computer programmed
with Dynojet's software, which calculates horsepower and torque among other data. The design of the drums
prevents tire slippage or deformation, which results in precise, repeatable information, although like any testing
tool, it must be used carefully to assure repeatable information. Think of the Dynojet as an improved and vastly
more intelligent version of the old two-roller chassis dyno, with a 1200 hp capability.
For our test, Dynojet delivered it portable unit, along with Eastern U.S. Director of Operations Marc Hayes, to
Steeda Autosports in Pompano Beach, Florida. For the four days of testing in late January, Steeda's Dario
Orlando was kind enough to devote two of his technicians, Steve Chichisola and Chad Boy, to the project. Since
Steeda Autosports is primarily a late-model Mustang business complete with installation shop, Steve and Chad
are intimately familiar with the 5.0 Mustang. They constantly amazed us with their speed, removing and installing
short-tube headers in 15 minutes and swapping heads in just over three hours.
We started with a 1989 5.0 LX Mustang, "an old Steeda workhorse," Steve said. With 126,000 miles, the
five-speed LX hatchback was typical of many 5.0 Mustangs on the road today and a good place to start. The
Steeda crew made sure everything was stock, including the exhaust system and air intake silencer inside the right
front fender.
With a manual transmission, Marc says you can expect a 10-percent power loss, typically 20-25 horsepower for a
5.0 Mustang, on the Dynojet due to frictional losses through the drivetrain. (With an automatic, Marc says you
can expect to lose 40 or more horsepower). The Dynojet is capable of determining the frictional loss, with our test
Mustang showing only an 18 horsepower drop. The frictional horsepower loss remains constant as long as the
drivetrain is not changed, so it is not accrued as modifications increase horsepower. In other words, to get a
flywheel, or "advertised," rating for our modifications, just add 18 horsepower to the rear-wheel numbers.
Every run on the Dynojet was identical -- make the modification, warm up the engine and drivetrain on the dyno,
then accelerate the engine, in fouth gear, from 1500 to 5500 rpm at wide-open throttle. In most cases, three runs
were made for each change: one to get the engine up to operating temperature, a second for the real number and
a third for backup purposes. For consistency, Steve operated the car for every run, while Marc orchestrated the
computer.
For our baseline number, Steve made three runs on the Dynojet, reaching a peak rear-wheel horsepower of 201.7
at 4300 rpm. Adding in the 18 horsepower for drivetrain loss, the number comes to 219.7 at the flywheel, very
close to the factory 225 horsepower rating and impressive for an engine with 126,000 miles.
PHASE 1 -- BOLT-ONS
Remove intake silencer. Ford used a plastic air intake silencer, mounted inside the right front fender, to reduce
the noise caused by air rushing into the induction system. The design of the box restricts airflow, so removing it
has become one of the first modifications performed by 5.0 owners. Removing the silencer from our Mustang
supported this modification, showing a peak horsepower of 206.2 at a higher 4700 rpm for a 4.5 horsepower gain.
Not bad for free.
K&N filter. Continuing to free up induction, we yanked the stock air filter and replaced it with a K&N
Filtercharger, a reusable high-performance filter. We expected another large gain, but the K&N netted just over a
horsepower for a peak of 207.3. The only explanation was that the K&N may not work as good with a stock
engine, and that it may prove more beneficial as we make further modifications.
Underdrive pulleys. With many reports of quarter-mile improvements, we had to try underdrive pulleys on our
dyno Mustang. March Performance supplied their lightweight aluminum three-pulley "street" set, part number
2010, powder coated in a brilliant red to match our test 5.0, to reduce the horsepower-robbing drag from the front
engine accessories, including the water pump and alternator.
Steve bolted on the pulleys in less than 10 minutes, and the test run showed a peak horsepower number of 217.4,
an impressive increase of 10.1 horsepower, even more impressive was the fact that the underdrives helped across
the rpm band -- 5.2 horsepower at 2500 rpm, 9.4 at 3000 and 12.5 at 5000. The pulleys also improved torque all the
way across, with a peak improvement of 13.6 lb ft.
One side effect of the pulleys during the remainder of our test was the additional heat in the engine. Since the
underdrive pulleys slow down the water pump, the engine ran about one notch hotter on the temperature gauge
after a series of dyno runs.
SplitFire spark plugs. These plugs, with their unique "split" electrode, have benefitted tremendously from their
marketing and advertising campaign. We wanted to see if our test would back up their claims. After swapping a
set of brand-new SplitFires, part number SF2E, im place of the 5.0's somewhat used Motorcraft ASF32C plugs, we
saw a peak horsepower number of 218.9, a 1.5 horsepower increase that could be attributed to fresher plugs and
not necessarily to the design of the SplitFires.
At this point, we tried two Pro-M mass air meters, a 75mm and a 77mm. Neither showed an imp
09-20-2007, 09:56 PM
#4
RE: ==>BOLT ON POWER WITH DYNO NUMBERS!
Pretty cool write up, but I always find that dyno jet seems to over estimate rwhp by abour 5-8%, probably because it miscalculates powertrain loss, but ehhh... who knows.
09-20-2007, 10:06 PM
#5
5th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Warner Robins,GA
Posts: 2,872
RE: ==>BOLT ON POWER WITH DYNO NUMBERS!
I wish they would have tested with long tubes. Too many people say the shortie's are just as good but if info is correct they did not pick up jack as far as hp.
09-21-2007, 12:30 AM
#10
RE: ==>BOLT ON POWER WITH DYNO NUMBERS!
ORIGINAL: Jasperstang308
hell using better parts could have seen better gains
hell using better parts could have seen better gains
I think they just used "common" parts, such as GT-40, and Flowmasters, as that's what most people go with as they're ignorantabout anything else.